Cricket: Bracewell dropped for drinking with Volts

Doug Bracewell.
Doug Bracewell.
Cricketer Doug Bracewell was dropped from his Central Districts Stags team for their HRV Cup match on Saturday after he stayed out to party with the Otago Volts cricketers on Friday night.

"Dougie is really gutted about it," Central Districts Cricket chief executive Hugh Henderson said yesterday after the Black Caps allrounder was dropped to 12th man from the CD Stags team for the HRV Cup Twenty20 match against the Northern Districts Knights in Hamilton on Saturday night.

"We won't use the word curfew but we do adhere to standards," Henderson said of the 23-year-old, who drank with the Otago cricketers following their three-wicket win over ND at Seddon Park.

Bracewell has a cousin, Michael Bracewell, who plays for the Volts.

Henderson said staying up until after midnight before a match wasn't going to be tolerated.

Just before leaving Hamilton yesterday, new CD coach Heinrich Malan said they had discussed the matter and taken appropriate action against the Taradale Cricket Club player.

Bracewell would be available for selection for Friday night's televised game against the Wellington Firebirds at the Basin Reserve.

"At the end of the day we have protocols in place. We are professionals and the Stags come first," Malan said, adding Bracewell wasn't "100 per cent" for Saturday's 31-run loss to ND.

"Doug's disappointed he's let the management, himself and his teammates down."

He wanted all his players to be "on the same page" of a new regime that instils a culture of professionalism.

"It's important to the team ... for him to make better decisions and take the chances to become successful at a higher level," he said, adding that Bracewell was a "distinguished, quality and intelligent" cricketer who made a poor decision.

The Delhi Daredevils IPL cricketer fell out of coach Mike Hesson's Black Caps equation in March after he cut his foot on a broken beer bottle while cleaning up following a party at his Napier home.

New Zealand Cricket reminded him of his obligations as a contracted international player, prompting Bracewell to apologise on national TV to fans as well as to his neighbours for the ruckus.

He hasn't had a recall to the national team since then.

He toured with the New Zealand A team to the subcontinent in September but he said he wasn't happy with his performance despite scoring a century and was keen to knuckle down to prove his mettle in the domestic competition.

While on tour, Bracewell told the Indian Express he had a disciplined upbringing although he had "gone off track during his brief time in school, where he got mixed in bad company and was a rabble rouser".

In March 2012, Bracewell and Jesse Ryder were axed from the Black Caps for breaking team protocol to drink before the final one-dayer against South Africa in Auckland.

- Anendra Singh of Hawke's Bay Today

 

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